There are many supporters who would love to see their team score even a single goal at times. In the early stages of the 2023/24 campaign goals were certainly not easy to come by for the likes of Everton, Luton, Burnley and Chelsea. In fact, there are some who would probably take just not conceding and getting away with a 0-0 draw. Luton, we’re looking at you.
At the other end of the spectrum after six games of the 2023/24 season, Brighton were the top scorers in the EPL, netting 18 times as Roberto De Zerbi continued to weave his magic. Hot on their heels were champions Man City with 16 goals, whilst Liverpool and Spurs had both scored 15 times. Newcastle are our focus here and whilst the Magpies had struggled, just a little, to score in their first five games, they out that right in fine style in their sixth fixture.
Eight Goalscorers: Newcastle United Against Sheffield United (24/09/2023)
On Sunday 24th September Newcastle travelled to Sheffield United assuming that the Blades would prove a challenge in front of a packed, rowdy Bramall Lane. It didn’t quite work out like that though, although for 21 minutes the game remained 0-0. The following 69 minutes would see an orgy of goals though, as eight different Newcastle players scored.
This was the first time in PL history that eight different players from the same side had scored. The eight Magpies to create history were:
| Goal Number | Player | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sean Longstaff | 21 minutes |
| 2 | Dan Burn | 31 minutes |
| 3 | Sven Botman | 35 minutes |
| 4 | Callum Wilson | 56 minutes |
| 5 | Anthony Gordon | 61 minutes |
| 6 | Miguel Almiron | 68 minutes |
| 7 | Bruno Guimaraes | 73 minutes |
| 8 | Alexander Isak | 87 minutes |
Kieran Trippier didn’t get on the scoresheet himself but with three assists he certainly enjoyed the clash. The same cannot be said for the hosts, this 8-0 hammering being the worst league defeat in their long history. They actually lost 13-0 at home to Bolton once but that came back in 1890 in the FA Cup and we suspect they are over that by now. Quite how long it takes them to recover from this mauling, which leaves them bottom of the Premier League, remains to be seen. Perhaps one minuscule piece of consolation they can take from this is that it was not the first time the Magpies had beaten a Sheffield side 8-0. They battered United’s rivals Wednesday by the same score back in 1999. It was a very different scenario almost 25 years ago though, as that day Alan Shearer scored five for the Geordies.
For Newcastle and their fans, it was another incredible game to remember. They had a massive 15 shots on target and could easily have won by more. We have a separate article on the biggest wins in the history of the Premier League but this 8-0 thumping doesn’t quite top the charts. It is second in terms of away wins, behind Leicester’s 2019/20 9-0 pummelling of Southampton. Overall it sits joint fifth, alongside Spurs’ 9-1 thrashing of Wigan and a number of other 8-0 wins.
However, this was the first time in 31 and a bit Premier League seasons that eight different players had managed to register against the same team. Previously there had been seven different goalscorers in a match for the same side but this was new ground. Will we see nine one day? Never say never but it certainly would be a remarkable feat. That said, with the increased number of substitutions now permitted, the odds of so many different players scoring have decreased slightly, so maybe we will.
Seven Goalscorers Plus an Own Goal: Manchester United Against Southampton (02/02/2021)
The previous record for the most different goalscorers from the same team in a single PL contest was seven and was jointly held by Man United and Chelsea. However, we’re gonna give the silver medal to the Red Devils as their 9-0 mauling, the joint-record biggest in the competition’s history, also featured an own goal.
| Goal Number | Player | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aaron Wan-Bissaka | 18 minutes |
| 2 | Marcus Rashford | 25 minutes |
| 3 | Jan Bednarek (Own Goal) | 34 minutes |
| 4 | Edison Cavani | 39 minutes |
| 5 | Athony Martial | 69 minutes |
| 6 | Scott McTominay | 71 minutes |
| 7 | Bruno Fernandes (Penalty) | 87 minutes |
| 8 | Athony Martial (2nd) | 90 minutes |
| 9 | Daniel James | 90+3 minutes |
To our mind, that (sort of at least) means they had eight different scorers when they put Southampton to the sword in February 2021. Amazingly, two of the four 9-0 wins in the PL have been recorded by Man United, whilst Southampton were on the wrong end of that score twice within less than 18 months!
Saints lost 9-0 at home to Leicester in October 2019 in a game where both Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez hit trebles. Then, in February 2021, they lost by the same score at Old Trafford. The opening goal of the game came from an unlikely source, right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka starting the riot after 18 minutes. Marcus Rashford made it two seven minutes later before Jan Bednarek put through his own net after 34 minutes. Uruguayan hitman Edinson Cavani made it four on 39 minutes and then Anthony Martial made it five 14 minutes into the second half.
On 71 minutes Scott McTominay scored, but with three minutes left Southampton might have felt they could escape with a degree of pride intact. However, a Bruno Fernandes penalty (87), Martial’s second (90) and an injury time Dan James strike made it nine. 9-0, with Martial the only player to score more than once.
Seven Goalscorers: Chelsea Against Aston Villa (23/12/2012)
This was not a vintage Chelsea side and Villa came into the game on the back of a fine 3-1 win over Liverpool, so few could have predicted an 8-0 thumping. The Blues boss at the time was Rafa Benitez and the Spaniard has an unfair reputation with some in the UK for being defensively minded. His sides are organised but they have often been high-scoring too. On being appointed to Real Madrid the former Liverpool boss deflected a charge of being defensive by saying “My Napoli team scored 104 goals a year, a record, for two consecutive seasons.”
| Goal Number | Player | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fernando Torres | 3 minutes |
| 2 | David Luiz | 29 minutes |
| 3 | Branislav Ivanovic | 34 minutes |
| 4 | Frank Lampard | 59 minutes |
| 5 | Ramires | 76 minutes |
| 6 | Oscar (Penalty) | 79 minutes |
| 7 | Eden Hazard | 83 minutes |
| 8 | Ramires (2nd) | 90+1 minutes |
His Chelsea side were certainly at the races on the 23rd of December 2012 and they started quickly too, with Fernando Torres scoring after just three minutes. Two defenders scored next, with David Luiz (after 29 minutes) and Branislav Ivanovic (34) making it 3-0. A more familiar scorer came next, Frank Lampard helping via a Juan Mata assist and then Ramires made it five after 76 minutes. Another Brazilian, Oscar, made it six, with the little attacker laying on the seventh for Eden Hazard. Ramires claimed his second and his side’s eighth in the first minute of stoppage time.
Six Goalscorers Not That Uncommon
As of 26th September 2023, there have been 11 PL matches where six different players have scored for the same side in a game. Notably four of those 11 have been recorded by Man City! Liverpool have achieved the feat twice, as have Arsenal. Leeds, Blackburn and Aston Villa complete the list, with Leeds and Villa the only sides to have been on the receiving end and to have also dispensed the multi-player-scorer punishment.
Nine Different Scorers in North London Derby
While Newcastle’s 8-0 annihilation of Sheffield United was the first time a single side had scored eight goals through eight different scorers, it is not the record for the most goals in a game by different players. Back in November 2004, a crazy north London derby saw Arsenal win 5-4 away from home and each of those nine goals was registered by a different player. Incredibly all nine goals were squeezed into just 52 minutes of the clash too!
You can see more info about the game at the official PL website but here are the scorers:
| Score | Player | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1-0 Tottenham | Nourredine Naybet | 36 minutes |
| 1-1 | Thierry Henry | 45+1 minutes |
| 2-1 Arsenal | Lauren | 55 minutes |
| 3-1 Arsenal | Patrick Vieira | 60 minutes |
| 3-2 Arsenal | Jermain Defoe | 61 minutes |
| 4-2 Arsenal | Freddie Ljunberg | 69 minutes |
| 4-3 Arsenal | Ledley King | 73 minutes |
| 5-3 Arsenal | Robert Pires | 80 minutes |
| 5-4 Arsenal | Frederic Kanoute | 88 minutes |